Tubing catcher



H. R. SMITH TUBING CATCHER Sept. 8, 1925.

1 Filed March 11, 1924 WITNESS I'M I In ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 8, 1925.

UNITED STATES HARVEY RALPH SMITH, OF SILOAM SPRINGS, ARKANSAS.

TUBING GATGHER.

Application filed March 11, 1924. Serial No. 698,529.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY B. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Siloam Springs, in the county of Benton, State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tubing Catchers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a safety catch for use in lowering tubing in a well casing and aims to provide a device of this character which Will permit the free and easy lowering movement of the tubing so long as the lowering movement is controlled slow and uniform but which automatically operates to lock the tubing to and support the tubing on the well casing in the event that the lowering mechanism breaks or in the event that the tubing for any reason whatsoever falls down through the casing at a high and uncontrolled speed.

A further object is to provide a device of this character and having these advantages and which is of simple and durable construction, reliable in operation, and easy and comparatively inexpensive to manufac ture and apply.

Other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of theconstruction, arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation and showing a safety catch embodying the present invention organized with a tubing and well casing, the parts of the safety catch being positioned as when the tubing is being lowered in a slow, uniform, and controlled manner down through the well casing,

Figure 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the dogs of the catch engaging with the well casing for supporting the tubing thereon,

Figure 3 is a view in section on the line 33 of Fig. 1, and

Figure 4: is a fragmentary perspective view of the safety catch positioned on the tubing, the well casing being omitted.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 5 designates a well casing and the numeral 6 designates the tubing which is to be lowered in the well casing and which is made up of sections secured to each other by couplings '7, the coupling 7 presenting a shoulder 7 The safety catch which constitutes the present invention includes a carrier, designated generally at 8 and comprising a collar 9 which is snugly fitted on the tubing 6 and which engages the shoulder 7 The collar 9 may be suitably secured or fixed to the tubing 6 in any approved manner. A plurality of pairs of ears 10 are integrally formed with or suitably secured to the collar 9 and the members of each pair of ears are arranged in spaced parallel relation. Preferably three pairs of cars 10 are provided and the pairs of cars are arranged at equal angular intervals about the collar.

Between the members of each pair of ears 10 a dog, designated generally at 11, is arranged. Each dog 10 is pivoted on its pair of ears eccentrically, a pivot bolt 12 being extended through pivot openings in the ears 10 and in the dog 11 and being held in position by a nut 13. The pivot opening in the dog 11 which receives the pivot bolt 12 is located above the center of the dog and adjacent the side of the dog which lies nearest the carrier 8 and the tubing on which the carrier is mounted. On each dog 11 a curved and toothed gripping portion 14 is provided. Stop faces or shoulders 15 and 16 are also provided on each dog and are designed to co-act with the collar 9 for limiting the swinging movement of the dog in either direction. It is to be understood that the dogs 11 are mounted for free swinging movement on the pivot bolts 12.

In operation, when the tubing is being lowered down through the casing under the complete control of the lowering mechanism ordinarily provided for this purpose and with a slow and uniform motion, the dogs 11 will be positioned as shown in Fig. 1 and will not interfere with the lowering movement. Should the lowering mechanism break and become disconnected from the tubing 6 or should the tubing 6 for any other reason start to fall rapidly through the casing 5, the dogs 11 will be flipped outwardly by natural gravity or in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1 to cause the uppermost section of their curved and toothed gripping portions 14 to engage the well casing and eventually the lower sections of the gripping portions 14: will be brought into binding engagement with the well casing, as shown in Fig. 2, whereby the tubing is supported on the well casin The dogs 11 do not, however, prevent withdrawal of the tubing 6 from the casing. If any of the dogs 11 should become engaged with the well casing 5 during the controlled lowering movement of the tubing 6 they may be readily disengaged by simply elevating the tubing for a short distance. In this way the possibility of the tubing falling down through the casing and breaking or injuring the casing, the tubing, or any of the tools carried by the tubing, is obviated.

I claim:

1. safety catch for use in lowering tul ing in a well casing and comprising a carrier fixed to the tubing, a number of dogs, and means for pivoting the dogs eccentrically on the carrier, each dog having a gripping portion designed to engage the well casing to hold the tubing against downward movement, the dogs being automatically swung to bring their gripping portions into engagement with the casing upon uncontrolled downward movement of the tubing.

2. A safety catch for use in lowering tub ing in a well casing and comprising a carrier fixed to the tubing, a number of dogs, and

means for pivoting the dogs eccentrically on the carrier, each dog having a gripping portion designed to engage the well casing to hold the tubing against downward movement, the dogs being automatically swung r by gravity to bring their gripping portions the well casing to hold the tubing against downward movement, the dogs ,being automatically swung by gravity to bring their gripping portions into engagement with the casing upon uncontrolled downward movement of the tubing.

4:. A safety catch for use in lowering tubing in a well casing and comprising a carrier consisting of a collar fixed to the tubing and having pairs of pivot cars, a dog between the members of each pair of pivot ears, means for pivoting the dogs to the ears on an axis eccentric to the dogs and adjacent the tubing, each dog having a curved and toothed gripping portion designed to engage the well casing to hold the tubing against downward movement, the dogs being automatically swung to bring their gripping portions into engagement with the casing upon uncontrolled downward movement of the tubing, each dog having shoulders co-operable with the collar to limit the swinging movements of the dog in either direction.

HARVEY RALPH SMITH. 

